ballad of exthana
by lilypup
Summary: this is a stand alone there is no where else to put it sorry for the inconvenience


**The Ballad of Exthana**

My name is Exthana. I am the daughter of Apollo, God of the Sun. I live in a secret society that follows the ancient Greek ways. We are named People of the Lightning. We exist in medieval times. Recently, I have been having the reoccurring dream that I am walking down a dark tunnel, hearing the distant cries of a child. When I get to the end, there is a pulsing mass of red skin. At the edge of the mass, I hear a deep, bloody voice - the kind that could make you faint in an instant. The voice says, "You can't defeat me! I will crush your puny order." That is when I would wake in a cold sweat.

In the morning I was training in the court yard, and my best friend Bitsy would walk in, and joke about how I was training so hard that I might even be an elder someday. Bitsy was a daughter of Pan, God of the Wild. the only one in the whole world. She was never allowed outside the society walls.

Finally, it was time for the initiates to get their first quest to become adults. We all lined up - even Bitsy. As we lined up to get are quests, I noticed a dark figure in the corner of the room. As I stepped on to the stage to receive my quest, the dark figure in the corner of the room started to grow until it was twenty feet tall. The dark figure really was more of a black blob. As we watched, stunned, it began to take on the shape of an elderly man. The man said in a shrill voice, "Send her after me, I will enjoy watching her fail." The elder who hadn't spoken in 100 years said, "Ballister, so you finally escaped your eternal prison". Ballister just laughed and disappeared into a mist. When he did, a bright flash of light appeared.

**Flash back**

Suddenly, I was in my house. My mother was talking to a young man. I was playing with my favorite toy a little stuffed elephant named Hercules. When my mother refused to give away free food and cloths because we were a poor family the man pulled out a wand then the next thing I saw was my mother being burned at the stake, her shrill scream pricing the heavens. I ran over to her. With a slight tingle I pulled and the ropes snapped, she fell to the ground. I didn't know what it meant at the time her eyes unblinking not a single breath touched her lips. All I knew was my mother was never going to wake up to singing birds again. I heard Balister's voice "I destroyed your home once I will do it again." Then the light enveloped me again.

**Rustle**

When my vision cleared I was in the infirmary. I tried to sit up and my head started throbbing

Bitsy rushed over "you took quit a fall there" I just stared at her "what fall?" "You just stood there like you were gone then you just fell down and you weren't breathing they wanted to bury you but I wouldn't let them neither would the elder" she said "by the way you leave tomorrow". "What!" I shouted.

So I started out the next day after a day's travel I came across a city there in the middle of the square was a little boy begging for some bread and cheese he had just got a coin when a more muscular boy ran out of an ally nearby and kicked him leaving his nose broken and bleeding. I screamed hey and charged on my horse ready to defend the boy. Suddenly another boy with dark skin rushed out and scared my mount grabbing the rains and turning the horse while I lost my balance flipping me onto my butt. Then before I could react the two boys ran away with my horse and the younger boy's coin.

Instead of chasing them I immediately went to see if I could help. I was able to bandage the wound within minutes of course he will need glasses but at least he isn't blind. He said his name was Rustle and he didn't know his birth name. We went to the guard station to report the incident the thing about guards is it won't get done without bribing so when the guard hinted that are report would go through faster if we gave something to slide it's way there for about ten gold I started to reach for my coin purse it was gone the guard wasn't very sympathetic.

So I decided to hunt them down myself I found them at the local bar trying to convince the barkeep that they were fifteen. Well at that point I just about had enough of this so I grabbed them by the collar and recovered my horse and coin purse and the boy 's coin of coarse then I pointed him in the direction of the temple and continued on my way

**The Green Knight**

After another days travel I stopped at a small village when I entered the village there was a very hairy man lying on the ground bleeding from the head.

And a green knight chanting you did not pull the fairy's shield now you die. I couldn't let that happen to an incessant person so I ran over to the shield hoping to distract him. But instead I pulled it off the tree he immediately turned his attention to me and charged I drew sun blaster a flaming sword a gift from my father and we clashed swords he fell on his but.

I removed my helmet he started screaming that he couldn't be beaten by a girl. I told him to get over it and that you could not get much hire then a Greek god. Then he tried to attack me from behind I ran him through. The hairy mans name was Orson. Orson thanked me latter and said he owed me his life I said he owed me nothing.

**The Final Battle **

After several days of travel I came to Ballister's castle. So rode inside ready to fight and I find Rustle there kneeling in front of Ballister.

Ballister screamed "attack!" rustle raised and came at me with cheap rusty sword we fought long and hard finally I pinned him.

I heard Ballister say "go ahead he just a beggar child he is useless to me now." I quickly realized that there was a chandelier right above his head I acted like I was going to cut his throat I swept my sword across his throat not even making a dent cutting the chain of the chandelier dropping it on him.

With his last breath Ballister screamed you can't not stop him he will crush your puny order. home coming was glorious I was an official adult and aloud to go on self appointed quests Rustle was there too. Turns out he is a child of Apollo to but I couldn't think about that right then all I could think about what Ballister said he will crush your puny order when he said it he said in the voice from my dreams.


End file.
